Improvement in hoop-locks for metal bale-hoops



ILFETEHS, FIiOTC-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES I-I. DUBS, OF NATCHEZ, MISSISSIPPI.

IMPROVEMENT IN HOOP-LOCKS FOR METAL BALI:'.HOOPS.l

Specieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 2S, 164, dated May 8, 1860.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. Duns, of Natchez, in the county ot' Adams and State of Mississippi, have invented a new and Im proved Hoop-Loek for Securing together the Ends of Metal Bale-Hoops; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the saine, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure I is a face view of the buckle or connecting-plate and the two ends of a bale-hoop, parts comprising my invention and. represented in a detached state. Fig. 2 is a face Vview `of the same connected together; Fig. 3,

a longitudinal section of the saine, taken in the line .t x, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a detached perspective View of one end of a balehoop.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a hoop-lock that will firmly secure the two ends of the bale-hoop together Without weakening the hoop by the formation of the lock, so that the bale-hoop at the lock and at points adjoining will be equally as strong as at any other points.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A B represent the two ends of a metal balehoop, one end, A, having its sides notched, as shown clearly at a in Figs. l and 2, said notches being formed by filing or cutting oblong recesses in the sides of the hoop and leaving a square shoulder at their outer ends. Any number of these notches may be made in the end A of the hoop.

C is a metal plate, which may, if necessary, be a trifle thicker than the hoop. This plate may be described as being an oblong piece of metal with parallel sides and ends, the corners being removed or cut off. The plate C is slotted, so to leave a cross-bar, b, at its eenter and openings c c', one at each side of the bar, of T form, as shown clearly in Fig. l, the inner parts of the openings being wider than the outer parts.

The end B of the hoop has a notch, d, made in each side of it, as shown clearly in Figs. l and 4, said notches being formed precisely the saine as the notches a in the end A ofthe hoop. The extreme end of the end B of the hoop is slitted longitudinally for a short distance and bent so as to forni three prongs or projectons, e e j', the central one, f, being wider than the other two, e e, as shown plainly in Fig. 4.

The end B of the hoop is secured to the plate C by passing the end through the opening c of the plate and having the two prongs c e t over the outer side of the cross-bar b, and the central prong, f, over the inner side, the shoulders of the notches d d passing behind the edges or sides o1" the narrower part of the opening c, as shown clearly by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. By this arrangement the end B of the hoop is secured to the plate C without bending or doubling the former, and consequently the strength of the hoop will not be impaired. The end A of the hoop is secured to the plate by simply passing it through the opening c', so that theshoulders formed by one of the notches a may pass behind the narrower part of the opening c', as plainly shown in Fig. 2.

The hoops are adjustedI to the bale in the usual way and the ends secured when the bale is fullyconipressed.

The invention, although applicable to all metal bale-hoops, is more especially designed to be applied to the hoops of cotton-bales.

I am aware that notches have been formed in the sides of bale-hoops near-their ends in order to catch into the slots of metal plates and form a lock or fastening, and I therefore donot claim, broadly, such device; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- The combination ofthe three prongs ec f with the hoop end B and plate G, as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

CHARLES I-I. DUBS.

Witnesses: y

S. D. STOGKMAN, JOHN R. S'rociiMAN. 

